Oil-well apparatus



Patented dan. 231, i923.

,ttl La WILLIAM H. TJICKlESSICK, OF TULSA, OKLAIIOMA.

01h-WELL APFARATUS.

Application filed January 15, 1921. Serial No. 437,431.

To all whom t may concor/11,.'

Be it known that l, linnn-iai l-l'. llflclission, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tulsa, in the county of rilulsa and State of (llrlahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil-VV ell Apparatus, of which the followingl is a specification.

This invention relates to oil. well apparatus, and particularly to a means whereby the pump tubing1 may be drained of any oil within .the same before ,the pump tubing` is lifted to the surface of the ground for repairs, or ,for other purposes. lfn the operation of deep wells, the oil, water, or gas 1s ordinarily brought to the surface by means of a pump carried by a stringof tubing, through which the oil, or fluid, is conveyed fromjthe bottom of the well to the surface of the'ground. According` to the standard practice, the lower end of this string of tubin g, or pump tubing, as it is sometimes called, is provided with an upwardly opening check valve, known as a standing valve.` This standing valve traps the oil, or fluid, in the string` of tubing, with the result that when. it becomes vnecessary to pull the tubing from the well for the purpose of making some adjustments, or repairs, as has been stated, the oil, or fluid, which is trapped in the stringV of tubing, in the standing` valve, is lost. (lrdinarily, several barrels of oil are wasted in this manner as the tubing string is withdrawn. rllhis entails a considerable loss. 'l'lie object of this invention is to provide a novel and effective means for openingl this valve and permitting the oil in the string of tubing ,to drain baclr into the well before the tubing is withdrawn, thereby saving the oil and facilitating the withdrawal of the tubingrr from the well, since this 'trapped oil in 4the tubing adds materially to the weight thereof, and malice the handling); of the ubingr more dillicult. *Y

ln practicing' the invention. l proiuled a standing valvehaving a cage, or f lre por` tion attached thereto, and above said valve. rl' he opening' in valve is ordinarily closed by means of a ball. A stem, provided with curved foot, has its stein portion extend-- ing through a bearing` in the yoke member'. Resilient means are interposed between a head on the end of said stem, and the top of the yoke. Said resilient means tends to at all times prevent the curved foot from contacting with the ball in the valveopen-i ing. lf it is desired to drain the tubing` oi' oil, weight-s would be dropped through said tubing after the sucker rods had been withdrawn from the same, so that .they may contact with the head of the stem, depressing said stem, and causing the curved foot to engage al side of the ball and unseat the same from the valve opening'. This, of course, permits the oil to pass through the valve opening, and into the` casing.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device for opening a standing valve of a string of tubing, which can be used with standard oil well equipment, without the necessity of any material changes therein, which is entirely dependent in its action, and which has no complicated parts to breal: or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of novel combinations, arrangements and associations of the parts, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novelfeatures thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring' to the drawing', F igure l, is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation of the improved means for draining' a stringof tubing, and showing the ball seated over the valve opening;

Figure 2 is a view similar to F igure l, but showing the ball unseated from the valve opening, resultant upon pressure being` eX- crted downwardly upon a stem member; and

Fi gure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 iu Figure l, and looking;- in thedirection of the appended arrows. Y

Correspomlingi` parts in all the figures are designated by the same reference characters.

Referring with particularity to the drawing, A designates a well casing, B a string of tubing, commonly called pump tubing, and C a valve, or valve operating` device, associated with said string of tubing, all of which elements are used in practicing one embodiment of the invention.

'it will be understood that a pump of any standard construction is tted to the tubing above the valve and valve operating mechanism C, and that the fluid will be pumped to the surface of the well through the tubing.

The improved device C may include a valve l held to the lower end of the string of tubing` B, as shown at 2, by means of a sleeve or Coupling 3, having a screw threaded engagement with the string of tubing B. Said sleeve 3 is provided With an internal annular shoulder 4t, which shoulder has its inner peripheral surface 5 convergently angled downwardly, as shown at 6. The device C is seated within the stringot tubing B, as has been stated. The shoulder 1 aids in retaining the lower cone shaped body portion ot the valve 1 in position, as shown. The valve 1 is provided with a longitudinal bore 7 extending therethrough, and the top por- Jtion of said bore 7 is normally closed by means ot a ball member 8 seated therein. Yoke members 9 and 1() rise from the surface 11 of the valve body 1, said yoke members being at right angles to each other as shown. Any number ot yoke members 9 and 10 may be provided. rIhe apex of where the two yoke members 9 and 10 meet is provided with a bearing 12. A ste-m member 13 extends through said bearing 12. One end et said stem, as at 14C, is provided with a curved foot 15, while the opposite end of the stem, as at 16, is provided with a head 17. Said curved foot 15 may be detachably joined with the stem by means otl bolts or screws, as shown at 18. The curved toot 15 is provided with a bearing end 19, to prevent excessive wear on the same when the device C is operated. The valve stem is resiliently urged upward by means ot a coil spring 20 interposed between the head 17 and the apex 21 ot' 'the yoke members 9 and 10, with the said spring 20 encircling the stem 13.

lit' it were desired to drain the tubing et oil, the sucker rods would first be withdrawn from said string ot tubing, and weight members WV would be dropped through said tubing so that they might contact with the head 17, as shown at 22, and depress the spring 20, causing the curved toot 15, and particularly the portieri 19, to engage with the ball S and unseat the same trom the valve seat, as shown at 23. When this occurs, it is, of course, obvious that any oil within the tubing would drain through the opening 7 into the space confined by the casing A. The number et weights lV required to exert pressure on the head 17 is immaterial, as it is only necessary to drop a sufcient number, according to the depth of the well, and the weight of the fluid that it is necessary to drain back into the well to properly depress the stem.

While I have illustrated and described one particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that l do not restrict myself to the exact details shown, since it will be obvious that numerous modilications and changes can be made without in any manner departing from the spirit olE the inventiou.

Having thus disclosed my invention, lA claim and desire to secure by Letters latent:

1. rl`he combination with a string ot tubing having a standing valve at its lower end and wherein a pump piston is adapted to be reciprocated by a string ot sucker rods thereby to elevate liquid through the tubing in a cordance with standard practice. o1 a dcvice situated adjacent the standing valve `ter unseating` the same, and means adapted to be dropped into the tubing upon the withdrawal therefrom oit the pump piston for actuating said device and unscating the standing valve so that the quantity ot the aforesaid liquid that is then within the tubing may drain back into the well preparatory to pulling the tubing.

2. The combination with a string ol tubing wherein a pump piston is adapted to be reciprocated by a string ot' sucker rods thereby to elevate liquid through the tubing in accordance with standard practice. ol a drain valve ttor said tubing, and means adapted to be lowered into the tubing upon the withdrawal theretrom ot the pump piston for opening the drain valve so that liquid within the tubing may drain back into the well preparatory to pulling` the lubing. y

ln testimony whereof. l have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

lVILLIAAl il. MGIUSSIFK.

litnesses LAwaENcn J. Dominion, -Dono'rrrY HALE. 

